Snowfelt the Mage
by Darkana Arez
Summary: Spira is cast into eternal winter by a mage of immeasurable power. Everyone from the story is trapped within his web, with the exception of one little thief that must grow up quickly and fight to stop him before Spira remains frozen forever.
1. Chapter 1

This is random, and I will admit: **this is not inspired by LoZ Twilight Princess (insert disclaimer, just in case :P)**. Cookie to the one that can find my inspiration, although no one probably ever will! Mua ha ha ha ha!**  
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_Ten years..._

_It has been ten long years. Ten years of nothing but loneliness and sadness, strife and struggle, war and fighting and killing._

_Much happens in such a short period of time._

_Spira rejoiced in the defeat of Sin. Spira celebrated with the defeat of Vegnagun. It seemed like all the dangers had been eliminated, but of course, it seemed some force, unknown if it was the Fayth or something else, threw Spira into disarray again mere months after the last party. Something else threw Spira under a dark shroud._

_Everyone turned to the former summoner for help. She saved Spira twice! She could do it again! They sought her aid again, throwing their hopes on her once again.  
_

_But she vanished. She disappeared off the face of the earth and not a soul knew where she went._

_In their efforts to find her they consulted the sphere hunters, the Gullwings, but found they had been disbanded. The ship flew under the instruction of the former pilots, nobody else. The three heroes that stopped Vegnagun were gone as well.  
_

_And it all fell apart. The new force of evil was a beast none in Spira had seen before, a werewolf bigger than a Ronso with fur blue as the frostbitten souls in his territory and white as the snow he brought with him from the mountains. He was called Snowfelt the Mage. He descended upon Spira from the very top peaks of the mountain, where the clouds were too think to penetrate and the temperatures were too low for a human to survive or a Ronso to dwell. He struck swift and hard, sending out White Fang fiends everywhere with thick clouds following in their wake to cover the land in snow and ice and flurry and blizzard._

_People across Spira were hunted down and herded up like lambs. All that proved a threat to him and his rule he had "removed". All mages of any kind were left on Kilika, and the entire village and forests there were frozen into a massive iceberg, the people stuck within the ice. All the leaders of this world, Gippal and Baralai and Nooj and Tromell, all of them and more, were imprisoned in the Bevelle underground, beneath the mage as he made the city of Bevelle the center of his empire._

_All the grass was brittle and broken, dead to the roots, no longer able to be revived. The trees bent under the weight of the constant snow, if not snapping and falling to the dead earth. There was no such thing as the sun as snow fell all day and night. Warmth and fire were precious. Food, whether grow from the earth or raised and bred, was scarce from the frigid weather._

_He ruled Spira with a fist of ice in a matter of three years. The earth itself is dead after seven years of this harsh climate. The people of Spira struggle to survive._

_I am one of those people._

_I found my cousin and one of her guardians frozen in Kilika. Both are at the very edge of the docks, watching with eyes shining with hope, to whom I do not know.  
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_Their lovers are in Luca, forced to train and play Blitzball for the people to give them something of hope and for Snowfelt's sick amuzement, no matter how deathly the game is in the chilled waters._

_My father works at the capital, former Bevelle, as a palace engineer. It's work, he says, and being inside is the closest to warmth he can get. His age is finally getting to him, and he can't afford to be out in the cold, and I can't blame him.  
_

_The Ronso hide in their homes on Gagazet, Kimahri with them. They have no hopes of fighting back or defeating the mage, and so they hide deep within the mountain, trying to live._

_I fight back against his minions- I intend to restore this land. But I will need a lot of help._

_There is one important person in my life I have yet to see with my own eyes. All I have of her is her location, which is why I'm so bold as to be standing in the ruins of Macalania woods, looking to Bevelle that lay stretched before me across the bridge, the waters on either side blue and frigid._

_She's somewhere in the capital._

"I'm coming, Paine."_  
_

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note: ... okay, cookies for everyone cuz I've screwed myself to the wall. the idea of wolves being so active here was from Balto, but now this idea of the world and the snow and ice and the mage overlord- I DO NOT KNOW WHERE IT CAME FROM. XD it is the freakiest thing I've thought of. ROFLMAO, ok so hit me with some feedback, questions, comments or ideas. all are welcome! :)

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Al Bhed Translations


	2. Chapter 2

Here is fair warning- **this chapter is borderline disturbing**. Prepare yourself for the twisted nature of the supreme mage overlord.**  
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Rikku walked through the gates of Bevelle, entering the frosty streets of the capital of the new Spira, eying the two Lupis wolf fiends that stood posted on either side, not really for filtration but a guard should there be any commotion near the gate or any sign of "trouble" that would result in sealing it. She walked through without any problem and began traversing the streets.

Many of the temples and magnificent homes had been reduced to shame and rubble, and replaced with many smaller homes if not rebuilt for businesses. The majestic place of prayer and practice and religion had been degraded to the state of any normal city like Luca or Kilika...

... well, what used to be Kilika...

Rikku had to admit this was a change she could thank the mage for.

Finding the palace of the supposed overlord was simple enough. It would be gaining entry that was difficult. She'd been plotting and planning for three weeks, watching the palace, memorizing the layout she could infer, the guards, their schedules, the ways of the mage throughout a day, learning this place inside and out to the best of her ability without losing her identity to Snowfelt, which would throw the entire plan in the trash.

She checked herself again, hoping her attire would suffice for the time being. She'd donned some white, thermal wear leggings under her army-drab skirt and replaced her boots with a pair of soft, dark-furred snow boots that barely reached up to her knees. Her torso and arms were in more white thermal wear for warmth and she also wore a vest similar in the fur to her boots, which helped her maintain body warmth in her torso. Her hair had grown a considerable length in all the time since last adventure of the Gullwings, so she pulled it back similar to the style when she aided her cousin on her pilgrimage, but the length was far down her back which had her loop it back up and pin it above the first hair tie, and the length now was down between her shoulder blades.

Now, it was time to infiltrate the palace.

She neared the entrance, which was was guarded by several Lupis wolves in heavy armor, two standing watch on either side of the closed gates and the other three pacing haphazardly around the front area of the entrance. She kept on walking past them and turned at the nearest corner. Patrol was as to be expected, and the heavy wooden gates covered in a thin layer of ice could only be opened by any of those fiends through the two magic sensors shaped like their paws, one on each door. She would need them conscious and willing.

Then she saw a miracle pass her up: there was a machina carriage being drawn by two chocobos. The emblem printed on the side was the obvious mark of Snowfelt, a five toed paw with a reverse pentacle in silver within the black paint, signified that it was cargo or delivery to the lord. Before it passed her by she sauntered up beside it, and could hear the faint noises of frightened, crying women inside.

The carriage was turning towards the gates.

She managed to hook her fingers over the edge above and lift herself with ease up and over the top, pushing past a blanket cover across the top, and landing inside.

The six women inside panicked and started shifting from their various spots in the carriage but Rikku quickly shushed them, sitting down and looking across their terrified faces. Each of them were ideal figures for any man with a libido and a dream, and she figured what they were being brought here for.

"W-Who are you-?"

Rikku shushed them again, raising her hands in motions to keep their voices down and calm down. "It's okay-I'm not an enemy. I'm trying to find my friend, and she's inside the palace. This is the quickest way inside-"

The transport stopped moving, and the back of the compartment split from top to bottom, and the doors were pulled open to five human soldiers, former army men from Bevelle's defense, each of them equipped with a rifle.

"Alright, come on," one urged impatiently, "out!"

The women didn't move but crouched down in fear near the back wall. Rikku joined them, feigning the act.

"I said _out!_" the leader snarled, sending in two of them, and three more appeared from around the sides of the unit.

The women began crying and screaming in fear as the two manhandled them, shoving each one outside to be caught by the ones waiting and their arms bound behind them with simple machina mechanisms, allowing no room for error and escape from bonds. When Rikku was grabbed she followed along quietly and allowed herself to be bound, quite ready and capable to free herself but just not at the moment.

All seven of them bound, they were shoved into single file and forced to start walking. Rikku could see they were in a large hall, and behind them she saw the gates being closed from the outside. They were driven from this hall into the next room, another long hall that stretched on down either side from them, with a few people walking about for their own business. The walls were smooth and slick like marble now but a pale bluish-grey, the floors a silver and polished to a mirror sheen. Rikku couldn't help but think that this Snowfelt was from a different age, if not a different world or something; it was a storybook castle almost.

She heard a noise from her right, and noticed her father standing there with a look of fear and panic on his face. Age was etched into his features, probably brought on by the hardships of Spira in the past years more than just the passing of time. She winked at him with a smile before she stepped past the doors they were herded through straight ahead of them. From there it was all darkness after the doors were shut behind them, and they continued walking. One of the women whimpered, and Rikku felt the one ahead of her start pacing from side to side as she walked, on the verge of panicking and nudging her in the process.

Two doors opened ahead, casting light on them, and they kept walking on into a huge chamber, the walls covered in a thin layer of ice in several places. She averted her eyes forward and stared at the beast that called itself overlord.

He was slouched lazily on a magnificent ice throne across the room, his three bushy tails swaying slightly out of boredom, one would suppose. He was certainly a giant werewolf of sorts, his top fur as blue as the icy waters of the ocean, his fur on the underside white and soft as the snow. He was definitely bigger than even Garik Ronso, and certainly seemed more powerful. His long arms, thin but toned with muscle and furred, were more humanoid like his torso, his hands clawed sharp. His legs, shaped like that of the hind legs of a wolf, were just as powerful and furred in white, the paws animal and set with claws. His only attire was a dull, dark grey armor tasset with a length of material in a deep blue and a breastplate/ shoulder armor set with a cloak of the same night blue color that clasped on his right side in the front, covering most of his left and back.

His moist, purple eyes made her shiver with the way they scanned over each one of them, and she noticed his tails starting to move a little quicker before he stood up and they went still.

Snowfelt slowly approached them as their line turned and was stopped before his throne, facing him to be presented. He approached the one at the very front of the line, looking for whatever he called upon them for, and Rikku's stomach turned a bit inside. It was obvious what was on his mind; the hunger in his eyes was all too clear. He looked over the women one at a time, searching for whatever his tastes may have been.

He stopped on the third woman, who glared at him with a terrified, yet determined stare, and he leaned in to her gaze with a sneer of his own, requiring him to almost bend over completely. "You have nerve," he growled in his throat, quiet and deep.

The woman swallowed hard; she could see that she was sweating. Yet she was trying to remain calm and cool, and show her defiance.

Snowfelt turned to the nearest guard, who stood at attention. "I want this one to remain here..."

Rikku swallowed, wondering and fearing what he had in store for the brave one.

He continued looking over the rest of the women presented, giving Rikku no special attention much to her relief, and two of the women were pulled from the rest and left sitting by his throne with two men guarding them, and the rest were shoved along towards a door on the left. Rikku looked back at the two left behind, the mage standing over them and muttering, but she was knocked back into line forcefully.

Beyond the door was a spiral staircase that led much further down into the darkness and into the earth. When they finally came to a landing they were presented with three doors- two heavy steel doors with old-fashion key locks stood on the left and the right of them, and the one further ahead was a set of dual wooden doors, each set with an intricate carving of a wolf in mid-step.

Each door was creating a new itch in her mind. Locks were "intriguing" to a thief like her, and the lovely design on the doors ahead were a sign of something special.

The guard nearest her chuckled, catching her attention. "What?"

"Don't worry- you'll get to see what's in there," he laughed.

Rikku glared at him in response, but the jingle of a keyring caught her attention at the front of the line. One of the guards stuck a key into the door on the left and opened the way for them. She watched his hand with the key, noting the key's shape, and allowed herself to be led into a near dark hall lit with candle chandeliers down the way. When her eyes adjusted to the darkened room she felt her stomach twist. They weren't the only ones there.

Two cells on each side of the hall, each of them housing a few women in each one. Rikku looked past the bars on one of the cells and felt something dark and pitiful clench her stomach at the sight of the young women, some of them battered, cowering against the back wall and in the corners.

The five of them were released from their bonds, one at a time, and shoved them in the back cell on the left. When the last one was on the ground they shut the barred door and locked it up tight, leaving them in the dank prison and eerie, uncomfortable silence.

When the echo of the door slam died entirely Rikku could hear the soft whimpers of other females, some of them sounding rather young. She looked across the hall to the other cell, seeing nine beyond the bars. Two young girls, still teenagers, were cowering in the corner, being comforted by an older woman, whose face was stained with tears all the while.

Suddenly a woman burst into tears in the cell next to her's, sobbing loudly and uncontrollably, screaming about not wanting to die, and the sounds of a few others trying to calm and comfort her.

Rikku sighed. She hated herself for what she was about to do, but she had no choice. She leaned her face between the bars and whispered out, "Paine?"

It got very quiet, and she spoke up. "Paine, you here?"

Someone from the cell across crawled to the bars, looking at her with empty eyes. "You know her?"

"Yeah. Silver hair, red eyes-"

"She... they took her. Twenty minutes ago." The woman slumped against the slotted wall. "She does what she can..."

Rikku moved to the padlock on the gate and pulled a bobby pin from her hair, and proceeded to apply her master thieving skills back to use in removing the obstacle. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"She takes so much punishment... though she's done nothing wrong..."

There were murmurs of agreement from others.

Rikku felt her heart tug at the thought that Paine acted so noble. "To spare everyone the misery I assume takes place past those wolf doors."

The woman nodded slightly. "Yes..."

"Why are there so many women down here?" she asked, smirking when the lock popped open and then turning her attention back to the one across the way.

"We're used..."

"But why so many? Why are there replacements with everyone down here?"

She turned her eyes to Rikku, and they had changed. They were the eyes of the traumatized, the eyes of a soul that has seen more than what any should witness, and it made her shake. "When our bodies become worthless, our blood becomes the new nourishment..."

Rikku didn't need an explanation- the description was more than enough to tell her she had to move. Paine needed out of here. She removed the lock and slipped out, just managing to close and lock the cell back up before the others in the cage catch her. They threw themselves against the steel, arms out and reaching for her, and several from the other cells appeared at the bars to see what had happened, and hoping for a taste of freedom.

"Free us! Please, don't leave us! I don't wanna die! Help us, please! Please! Don't leave us! Get us out! Freedom! Please, help!"

Rikku hated leaving them there to suffer but releasing them would only cause a disturbance that could ruin her escape.

The tortured woman she spoke with reached out to her with a bloodied hand, wailing miserably. "Why? Why do you leave us to die? You're saving that demon woman, why not the rest of us?"

"I need her to help me take down Snowfelt, else Spira will remain frozen for eternity," she replied, turning to the main door and proceeding to quickly release the lock.

When it clicked free she slipped out and closed it behind her, turning quickly poised to strike a guard that would appear behind her, but she found there wasn't anyone down in the underground. So she darted quickly to the double doors and leaned in, listening hard for anything that might be happening or said on the other side.

Utter silence.

She pulled the latch above the door handle and slowly pushed, finding no resistance, and peered inside. No movement was seen so she slipped quickly inside and closed the door behind her, facing the room, and her breath caught in her throat for a moment.

Centered against the back wall of the room was a huge, queen-sized bed dressed in white sheets and white tiger furs, and Paine was at the foot of the bed. She sat up on her knees, her arms bound to either bedpost. She was blindfolded and her speech blocked with a ball gag, and her clothes had been shed and discarded to the foot of the bed.

Rikku couldn't focus on anything but the state her body was in. There were so many scars, scratches from Snowfelt, and bruises from what would be guessed as beatings. There were lash marks on her inner thighs and on her breasts- lashings from a whip, probably some sick pleasure for the mage lord. And her hair had grown out long, and surprisingly smooth and straight, a silver river running down her back to the bed and a few strands down the front.

Almost in a trance Rikku crossed the room, hand out to touch her, but just as she neared, her fingers just away from her skin, she heard the latch release from the door, and quickly slid under the bed without a sound.

Snowfelt made his presence known as he slammed the door with an echo. Rikku watched him turn to the helpless warrior on his bed, and heard the shuffling of the pelts up on the bed as Paine struggled against her bonds.

"Yes, fight it," he purred, approaching her. "You know I enjoy it when you fight, and yet for nothing: I pin you, you fight, I have my way, bend you the way I want, and you go back to your cell having accomplished nothing but satisfy your king for a while."

He stopped right next to the bed, and Rikku heard her comrade whimpering in protest, and he began chuckling.

"Fortunately for you, I've slate half my frustration. You know, the part where I'd do _this_-"

Rikku cringed at the sound of Paine screaming through her gag above her head.

"-to you. So you're in luck..."

His paws disappeared above; he had crawled up on the bed with her. It was quiet rustling for a second, and then Paine groaned out of discomfort. This was followed up with another and another, more in a pattern that sounded more painful with each one. Finally the sounds stopped but she heard Snowfelt snarling.

"You're not contributing!" he yelled.

Paine shrieked loudly this time, and Rikku curled up tight, feeling her stomach twist inside.

"Fucking dry as a bone... what d'you have to say for yourself?" he demanded.

Suddenly she heard Paine's voice. "_Fuck you_!"

Rikku felt a fire rise inside of her, an urge to fight beside her warrior friend, but swallowed it. The two of them were no match for him; she knew this. She just hoped Paine's stubborn streak would give out and save her a lot of pain and difficulty.

There was a snap as the wire from one bind broke, and Paine flew from the bed in hopes of breaking the other, but it held fast and she was yanked back onto her unsteady feet. Rikku noticed a mirror behind her against the far wall and saw the look of utter irritation on his face.

"I guess I am in the mood to break you, after all," he snarled quietly, the threat enough to shake the thief in her hiding spot.

Paine's expression was defiant, no signs of fear.

Rikku swallowed hard, unable to tear her eyes from what happened next, made visible by the mirror standing across the room.

It was perfectly clear why those imprisoned women looked up to her like a hero.

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note: my apologies for the content and for how long it took to update. having a major brain fart. i actually cut out events for the sake of those that already think this guy's a sick bastard, which he is. lol anyways R&R, plz!

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Al Bhed Translations


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, this is the next one. Kinda choppy, but its coming along.**  
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It took, what seemed like, forever before Snowfelt was done with Paine and left the room. She had witnessed things she never needed to see, and never wanted to endure or have her endure again. Once the doors slammed shut it was still and quiet. Rikku dared to poke her head out from under the bed. It was still quiet so she slowly crawled out and rose to her feet, and found Paine sprawled out on the blankets. Her arms were bound tight behind her back with the length of cord that had not broken, straining the muscles in her arms and back tight, her hair a mess and frayed over her face and shoulders, and she could see the first traces of bruising starting to color her body and legs.

She crawled up on the bed as softly as she could, and Paine jerked. "What more do you want from me?" she hissed, wincing and her body curling up slightly.

"I'm here to get you out," Rikku replied.

She brushed back Paine's hair neatly so it covered her back, and locked eyes with that crimson gaze, the spirit of the warrior still burning in those red eyes. They shined brightly at her, relief and joy making her sight sparkle.

It put faith and hope back into Rikku's soul. "I'm so sorry you've had to endure this-"

Paine shook her head slightly, a genuine smile forming on her lips. "Don't be. This isn't your fault. The only one at blame is that werewolf."

"But, from what the other women in the prison told me-"

"I couldn't let them be at his mercy. You heard what he does to me- none of the girls he's got can withstand that kind of punishment-" She drew in a hard breath, pulling against the cord at her wrists.

Rikku pulled a small switchblade and cut her friend free.

"Thank you..."

"Can you move? Can you walk?" she asked, moving around the bed to the window on the far left of the room, looking out.

"Yeah... but I can't fight, not like this-"

"We do this right we'll avoid all encounters. Plus, I have an ear on the inside- a couple, in fact." She grinned at Paine before looking back out the window. "You've been down here for how long, Paine?"

The warrior didn't answer.

Rikku looked back at her, noting on how her gaze fell and her shoulders slumped as she sat up on the bed. "Paine..."

"He came into power eight years ago. I was captured only a few months after he seized Bevelle."

"The entire time? You've been his pleasure toy for eight years?" Rikku's stomach twisted again sharply. "A-Anyway, no one's seen you since that time ago?"

"Only guards and Snowfelt; no one else has seen me."

"Then we may be able to walk in the palace for a short while."

Paine looked at her suddenly. "I'd rather not-"

"Just to get to Pops. He can help us escape but we need to get to his room."

"Cid?"

"He's lived and worked here in the palace for a while; it's the best thing for him to make sure he survives..."

"Survives? Rikku, you know where everyone's at?"

Rikku felt her heart sink at the thought of Yuna and Lulu. "I'll tell you everything after we're home free." She reached into her vest and pulled out a small, plastic bag and tossed it to Paine. "Put these on."

"What is it?" Paine asked skeptically, punching a hole in the corner and ripping back the stretchy plastic to the grey material items inside. She pulled them out, two pieces, and found it was a very small shirt and pants. "What-?"

"Thermal wear." She pinched the material at her stomach and pulled, letting it snap to her skin again. "Same stuff I got, and everyone else in the fight against Snowfelt. You can wear it under your clothes; it won't obstruct. Notice I've still got my attire," she bragged, gesturing to herself.

"Oh, really?" Paine stood on shaky legs and staggered to Rikku's side, and grasped the strap in the back that was her bikini top and snapped it against her skin, earning a yelp from the thief and making her grin evilly. "Yep, still on."

"Just-! Put it on!"

Rikku waited patiently at the window for Paine to dress, which took a couple of minutes, and when the thief turned back around to look at her the woman looked almost like her old self. The biggest thing was the length of her hair, which reached far down her back and stopped just above her buttocks.

"Care for a haircut when we get back?"

Paine nodded. "Definitely."

"Okay, let's go." She approached the door and stopped, pulling a pistol out of the other side of her vest and examining it quickly to ensure it was working before putting it back. "Stay near me, behind me. Let me lead."

Paine released a deep breath. "I'm not lookin' to stray off."

Rikku nodded and pushed the doors open a little, peering out to ensure it was clear, and pushed one open to dart for the stairs, Paine right at her heels. She didn't waste any time or much caution and rushed up the stairs, running until she hit the door she came through, the throne room sitting on the other side of it. She cracked this one a bit to look into the chamber, and was astonished that the place was completely empty. She pushed the door open a little more and stuck her head out, discovering that they truly were alone here. She opened the door and stepped forward, motioning for Paine to follow, and glimpsed something like a shadow near the throne across the room. She approached it, and recoiled in disgust.

On the other side of the throne lay the bodies of the two women he had kept from the fresh batch that were brought in, broken and torn and shredded, dark blood in heavy pools across the floor and staining the bodies. They had been hideously mutilated, she gathered for the overlord's sick pleasure, almost beyond the recognition of being people.

Why they were left here baffled her, but it explained why this hall was empty.

"I assumed this was what he did..."

She looked at Paine, who gazed at the women with a sad expression.

"The women that were not to his tastes, or if he was just hungry for blood..." She managed to pry her eyes from the gruesome scene and headed for the front doors. "We gotta go-"

Rikku rushed ahead of her and stopped her in her tracks. "Paine. Hold on. You're startin' to panic-"

"I don't want to-"

She gave her a firm shake, holding her shoulders, until the frantic fear in Paine's eyes faded as they focused again and became that solid red ice she recalled seeing in her. "You're not gonna end up like them. Just stay calm."

Paine took a deep breath and nodded. "I'm okay."

"Good. 'Kay, let's go." She turned and pushed on one of the doors, leading them into the darkness again.

As soon as the darkness took hold did the door at the other side open, causing both of them to scrambled towards the wall furthest from the light that stretched across the floor. But within that light a shadow consumed it- Snowfelt stood at the threshold, snarling loudly.

Rikku felt Paine beside her tense and heard her breathing become quick. Her own heart was thundering in her chest painfully- did he know they were escaping? How did he find out?

But he didn't make a glance at them. He moved forward hard and fast, throwing open the doors with anger that they slammed hard against the icy walls, and much of the ice fell and shattered to the floor in the throne room. As soon as the doors fell shut behind him they were in silence again, and nothing came from the other side of the door for a while.

Paine's hand grabbed her own and squeezed firmly. Rikku felt it grounded both of them from the contact.

"Wonder what's got him bent out of shape," Rikku whispered with a sigh.

"Don't care."

"Me either. Let's go."

They opened the doors at the end of the hall and stepped out, managing to keep their cool with the other people wandering around, most of them guards that were hastily patrolling the halls now. The new step-up in security worried Rikku but the fact that they didn't take a second glance at the two of them made her extremely curious, but she let it go. She led Paine down the hall to the left, where she saw her father was headed earlier, and at the end they headed right. She recalled where her father was staying the past couple of times she had scouted the palace out, and when they arrived at the door she saw him coming from further down the hall in their direction.

Cid's eyes were filled with alarm at the sight of them. "Rikku, fryd'na oui tuehk rana? Oui'na ycgeh' du kad lyikrd!"

"E dumt oui E't pa pylg. Fa haat du kad uid uv rana, pid dra vnuhd tuun'c hud yh ubdeuh drec desa. Ed'mm pa pumdat po sykel yht fumv calinedo- hud y kuut luspehydeuh..."

Cid grumbled something inaudible and opened the door to let them in, but he caught Paine at the doorway. "Listen, Paine..."

"Yeah?"

"I'm... I'm sorry I haven't... tried t', ya' know... get you out-"

"I wouldn't ask you to, Cid," she replied softly. "Spira is encased in ice- the lands are dying. You had to do what you could to survive in this tough time. I can't be upset with you for that."

Cid nodded with a grunt, letting her inside.

Rikku stood near a window against the far wall, looking down at the snowy ground below. "Pop, you helped with some of the design and architecture for this palace- any back doors? Escape tunnels?"

He growled under his breath. "Nothin', kiddos... this place is solid- nothin' in, nothin' out."

"Guess we jump," Rikku sighed, looking back out the window. "But I know that about five feet from the walls out is a moat, frozen over. We fall in there and even the thermal wear won't repel that kind of cold."

Cid shook his head, moving over to a small fireplace with a dancing fire on the hearth, eating away at the remains of a couple of chunks of wood that were steadily burning away. He tossed in another small log from a small stack beside the fireplace, and grabbed a blanket off a nearby chair before moving the seat near the fire and sitting down. "It just seems to get colder and colder every day..."

Rikku turned around, watching her father shiver under the blanket, and her heart felt tight. "Pops... why don't you come with us? You know we've got a secure Home where you can stay warm and fed, comfortable-"

He shook his head. "I'm needed here."

"A slave to Snowfelt?" Paine asked huskily.

"Oh, sure, if you look at it that way," he replied sarcastically.

Rikku giggled. "He's been keeping tabs on Snowfelt since the rebellion was established. He's part of the reason I've managed to get in here so flawlessly and get you out, how I know the layout of the palace, and how we've managed to interfere with the lord's plans and movements."

"And I have t' stay, and continue my work."

Rikku's look fell. "I... I guess I understand."

Cid suddenly stood up and moved across the room to a huge trunk at the foot of a small bed, opening it and rummaging around. He soon emerged with something in hand, which he held out to Rikku. Each one was a set of four sharp claws set in a small metal piece with leather straps that buckled. "These can be bound on hands and feet, even on boots, to allow for climbing. We use 'em whenever Snowfelt sends us on expeditions around ice or heights. They'll pierce through even the thickest ice and hold fast."

"Expeditions? He's still hunting for something?"

"Yes, and I know what yer thinkin'; I don't know anything on what he's after, but I'll send word once I get a hint.

"Now, this is my set I was issued. Both of you can use two 'n climb down the wall from here. This room's far back from the front so the fiends up front won' see ya', but ya' still need to hurry. People walk around the palace-"

"What about the next time he sends you out and you don't have these-?"

"Yer brother 'n Buddy work in the armory and supplies- they'll get me some more."

"Buddy and Brother are here?" Paine asked. "So they're okay?"

"Yeah, they're fine." Cid dropped the claws in Rikku's hands and moved back towards the fire. "Now, hurry 'n go. Snowfelt's stormin' around like a Behemoth- he'll be after some stress release here pretty soon." He glanced at Paine. "When he finds you gone this place will get locked down tight."

Rikku was fitting them on her knuckles already when Paine took the other two and started fitting them. The thief moved to the window and climbed up on the ledge, looking down. They were a full story up but she was confident they would be fine. She tapped a communicator on her vest. "Haat yh aclund uh dra aycd ceta uv dra bymyla. Fa'na dfu, lmespehk tufh dra fymm. Fa sekrd ryja lusbyho cuuh- pafyna uv y mulg-tufh."

_"Nekrd. Cahtehk dfu. Muug vun lrulupu lynneyka."_

At that Rikku jumped down, falling barely a few feet before digging in the claws and feeling them lock into the ice and stop her. She looked up to see Paine peering out over the side. "C'mon, Paine, we gotta move fast."

Paine nodded and followed, landing just a bit below Rikku before her claws would dig in.

Both began to quickly, but carefully, climb down the wall, trying with utmost caution not to slip on the icy surface. They were nearing the bottom with only a few feet between them and the thin ice below, and Rikku looked up to notice Paine was further up than what she thought. She was pulling away from the ice- it seemed like one of her claws was jammed into the ice to a point it wouldn't come out. Rikku managed to skim down the rest of the way and land on her feet, but winced when she heard and felt the ice beneath her react to the sudden weight. She eased herself across the surface, skating, until she felt the snow crunching under her boots.

She turned at the ear-splitting sound of scratching for just a moment, her voice catching in her throat as Paine jerked down and stopped just as suddenly, dangling from only one of the claws, and the other one was lying on the ice below her. Now it was her turn to panic.

Paine braced her feet against the wall as best she could, remaining still, and turned her head to look down at Rikku.

Rikku swallowed hard. "Oh, Fayth...!" She looked around, fearing that a patrol would come to the sound. She looked back up at Paine and locked eyes with her. She raised her hands, one up straight parallel to the wall and the other with her fingers curled like the claws. Her curled hand touched the tips of her fingers on the other hand, and she pulled the fingers away and let it fall down just a little and let the fingers touch her hand again, as if digging in. She did it again and her curled fingers touched at her wrist.

Paine nodded.

Rikku felt a little relief but was still tense in worry.

The warrior struggled to push herself off the wall, and managed to bounce the claw free and fall a few feet before she forced them in again and holding herself firm to the wall again.

It seemed like it would work and Rikku felt a smile form on her lips.

But no matter how Paine pulled again it remained wedged in the ice this time. She braced her feet against the wall and pulled hard, and the ice shattered around the claw.

Rikku nearly shrieked when Paine slammed down hard on the ice and the ice crackled and splinter, yet remained as a solid. She watched the crack snake out across the surface and multiply, moving out, and the pieces were starting to slide apart.

"_Rikku!_"

A wooden cart drawn by a blue feathered chocobo rushed up to her, sliding to the side as it skid to a stop. A man at the reins on the driver's box worked quick to release the bird and barked a command at it when the beak bridle came off. It rushed past her and dashed across the ice, snatching Paine up in one long claw by her upper arm and hitting the wall on the other, trying to claw its way up, squawking like mad as it slipped, and it began flapping its wings hard to try and aim higher, while Paine found her feet on the ice and braced herself against the wall.

"Paine...!"

The chocobo managed to fly across the ice to solid ground and trot back to the cart.

Paine managed to pick up the claw she had dropped and turn, all in place with her body up against the wall. Her eyes were scanning the ice that was a giant, frosty cracked mirror, looking for a place to run, and pushed off the wall in a run.

And it crunched and fell from beneath her in a swift move.

She managed to find enough ice beneath her boots to jump off of, and managed to dig her claws deep into the snow and to the dirt and stop herself from falling into the deadly frigid waters below, her legs dangling close to the surface.

Rikku jumped forward to help her, pulling her with an arm under her shoulder, and helping her lift herself up onto solid ground. The man helped her up to her feet and they moved towards the cart.

The Al Bhed man worked quick to hitch the bird onto the cart again, and Rikku turned at the sound of a wolf's howl to see armored Lupis fiends appearing around the corner further down. They charged directly at them, snarling and roaring ferociously, and she scrambled into the back as their escort barked at the chocobo and shook its reins. The bird squawked and pulled hard, yanking its cargo forward, and turned around sharply, nearly throwing the girls out. The wooden cart bounced hard onto its wheels and jolted forward again. The chocobo headed straight for the exit to Bevelle, where the two fiends that stood guard were waiting.

They lunged at the cart as it passed, only to meet the fists of both women and be knocked back as they were trailed off into Macalania woods.

Rikku looked back to see the frozen city rapidly fading behind the dead trees, and smiled at Paine. "Success... you're free."

The warrior smiled back, and hugged her tight, tears rolling down her cheeks.

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note: let me know what you think. especially if there are inconsistencies. oh, yeah- I got another idea. it's in the crossovers: Devil May Cry and FFX2. check it out pwease?

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Al Bhed Translations

Cid: What're you doing here? You're askin' to get caught!

Rikku: I told you I'd be back. We need to get out of here, but the front door's not an option this time. It'll be bolted by magic and wolf security- not a good combination.

Rikku: Need an escort on the east side of the palace. We're two, climbing down the wall. We might have company soon- beware of a lock-down.

Communicator: Right. Sending two. Look for chocobo carriage.


	4. Chapter 4

This one is very short but it is key.**  
**

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Snowfelt roared in absolute fury, shaking the walls of his private bedchamber and the thin ice falling to shatter on the floor. He had returned, awaiting another round with his human toy, to find her missing and her clothes gone, too. The woman had escaped, somehow. He knew someone had snuck in and helped her. The only thing he could think of was that one of the new women he brought in had managed to gain freedom and get her out.

His palace of ice had been _infiltrated_.

That was completely unacceptable.

Now he was absolutely furious with the entire situation of secrets in his halls that he did not know. While he waited for his guards to return he began pacing around feverishly, his mind spinning. He could not let that woman get away. She was partially what kept the leaders in check- several of them knew her and would do as told. She also made the other slaves calmer, easier to drag here, and she was an especially good fuck. She fought every time, and on the days she gave him trouble he would merely bind her to a machine and enjoy watching her body be viciously shaken and molested, and force her to please him by her mouth.

He stopped pacing for a moment, inspired. He figured a way to find his little pet, and make sure she was useless to anyone until she returned back home. His thoughts turned to his fiend guard, and he knew what he could do. He felt his magic tingle through his veins, making his entire body hum, and tried to focus it in his hands. He saw a figure start to form in his paws.

"_You are mine, unto me,_

_"you are claimed my property..._"

It began to take the shape of a tiny wolf figure, trotting around in circles, its body made entirely of white light.

"_All will know and all will see,_

_"for you are not what humans be..._

"_All that see you will shun you off,_

_"as you seek help, they will merely scoff;"_

It looked up at him with ruby eyes and lifted its head high as it howled something powerful, making him grin.

_"they close their windows and their door,_

_"they will not hear you but hate the poor_

_"foul thing there, cast out and left to fade_

_"til you return unto me, my pet for aid_

_"that only I can give you..._"

The creature leaped from his hands and landed before him in a size that almost matched his own, watching him with eyes that shone bright, its fur thick and white as the snow. It took steps to turn around in place and its paws made no sound on the floor.

"Go, find her and curse her. She shall return here soon after."

It dipped its head in understanding and lunged at the wall, fading right through and disappearing from sight.

The doors to his chamber opened to two guards escorting three young girls, each of them deathly terrified and crying and trembling.

"About time," he growled.

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note: I know I'm typing this up, but am I the only one that is disgusted with this thing? lol R&R, please. :)

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Al Bhed Translations


End file.
